New Boyzone album is "tribute to Gately"

Boyzone star Keith Duffy has declared the group's new record a "tribute" to late member Stephen Gately.

The Irish boyband release Brothers, their first collection of entirely new songs since 1998, on March 8.

"It's all completely original material. There are no covers on it and there's not really any ballads on it either," he told Digital Spy. "It's a whole new sound and it's a whole new dynamic for Boyzone."

Duffy, who reprises his role as chef Ciaran McCarthy on Coronation Street next week, also revealed that Gately was heavily involved in shaping the album's direction.
"Stephen was a big part of picking the tunes that are on the album. I think Stephen would really want us to continue and to release the songs and the album," he said.

However, Duffy also admitted that the group have yet to make any long-term plans.
"I don't know what's going to happen after the album," he said. "Whether we tour again and whether we perform together again, I really don't know. For now we're going to release this album as a tribute to Stephen.

"I'm on Corrie for six months as well so I'm not going to be available for any kind of promotion. I'm just going to let the album work itself - if it's a hit, it's a hit, and if it isn't, it isn't."

Boyzone Members

• Ronan Keating

Ronan Patrick John Keating was born on March 3 1977 and grew up in Bayside, Dublin.
His mother Marie died on February 2, 1998 from breast cancer; Ronan and his family have since set up a charity "The Marie Keating Foundation" to help find a cure for cancer.
Ronan married Irish model Yvonne Connolly (b. 1974) on April 30, 1998 on Nevis Island. They have three children - Jack (born March 15, 1999), Marie, known as Missy, (born February 18, 2001) and Ali (born September 7, 2005)

• Stephen Gately

Stephen Patrick David Gately (born 17 March 1976) is an Irish pop singer and actor, who is in the boy band Boyzone. Away from his Boyzone work, Gately has appeared variously in stage productions and on television programmes as well as having a modestly successful solo recording career.

• Mikey Graham

Michael Christopher Charles 'Mikey' Graham (born 15 August 1972, Dublin) is an Irish pop singer, best known as a member of the boy band, Boyzone.

• Shane Lynch

Shane Lynch (born July 3, 1976, in Dublin) is an Irish pop star and boy band vocalist of Boyzone fame.
In recent years, Lynch has re-taken up auto racing and participated in a reality television series

• Keith Duffy

A native of Dublin, Duffy has experienced a raised profile following his appearance on the first series of Celebrity Big Brother in 2001—finishing third out of six. He branched out from the mime he specialized in during his time in Boyzone to more serious acting, most notably on the ITV soap opera Coronation Street as the character Ciaran McCarthy.He also is currently playing the the part of Ringo in Fair City.